


Quality

by keep_waking_up



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Anthropomorphic, M/M, Mating, Pining, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:26:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4898431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keep_waking_up/pseuds/keep_waking_up
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This Mating Season, Jared is going to woo Jensen, even if he is the weirdest Feline ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quality

Ever since he was a young kit, Jared had looked forward to when he’d be of age and could participate in Mating Season.  And sure, okay, most kits did.  Mating Season was a Big Deal, and even being a kit during that moon was pretty exciting.  But Jared was different from most of the others.  He wasn’t just looking to have a good time, or dreaming about discovering the person he’d spend the rest of his life with.  He’d already found him.

Jared’s litter had been born four moons after Jensen’s, and he’d grown up watching the other Feline in awe.  Jensen, it seemed, was perfect.  From the tip of his graceful tail to the point of his slightly up-turned nose, he was one of the most well-formed Felines Jared had ever seen, and the perfection of his looks was reflected in his actions.  There was nothing Jensen did that he didn’t do well.  Jared’s mama called him “capable,” and when Jared saw Jensen, sometimes he’d murmur the word under his breath, just because he liked the sound of it.

Jensen’s capability was even more attractive in light of Jared’s own struggles.  Jared was not the usual Feline.  His mama called him “unique” and “eccentric,” which were both really nice ways of saying he didn’t exactly fit the mold.  And not like Jensen, who didn’t fit the mold because he was so much better than it.  No, Jared was just really, really weird.

Part of it was that he was big for a Feline.  To be fair, Jensen was too, but he fell just _perfectly_ in the “tall” category, as opposed to Jared, who was by far the biggest Feline in their pride.  He was mostly lean muscle like the rest of his kindred, but his shoulders had shoved out to a ridiculous width, and Jared always felt like a clumsy idiot when he had to shuffle sideways to get through a smaller doorway.

Perhaps this could have been forgiven if he had been exceptionally good-looking (he was not) or if his personality had been of an average sort.  Unfortunately, he was what his mama would term “a dreamer,” which meant he spent a bit too much time up in his head daydreaming about Jensen and a bit too little time actually contributing to the pride.

Luckily, everyone was fairly indulgent of his oddness, more likely to wearily sigh about “that Jared” than to hiss and spit at him.  Still, Jared never had any particularly close friends in the pride and had lived wistfully on the social fringes, wishing he could be more like Jensen, who was always the center of praise and good will.  Everyone liked Jensen, even though he was grouchy in the mornings and had a tendency to attack anyone who tried to wake him from a nap.  He had an allure to him that was undeniable.

That allure had been the cause of much claw biting for Jared the past year’s Mating Season.  The four moons between them had meant that Jensen was eligible to participate in that year’s Mating Season and Jared wasn’t.  Jared had worried and fretted the whole time, terrified that some other Feline would ensnare Jensen with their devious tricks.  But although he’d appeared to have been genuinely searching for a mate, Jensen had kindly rebuffed the Felines that had expressed an interest.  When Mating Season had ended, he’d been just as unattached as before.  Jared had thrown a little catnip party for himself in celebration.

This Mating Season, though, Jared was finally old enough to participate.  He’d be allowed to woo or be wooed by any of the other available Felines in the pride, which meant this was his one and only chance to get Jensen to notice him.  Jensen was too attractive to make it through another Mating Season single unless he too had his eye on a particular individual.  If Jared didn’t get to him quickly, he’d be mated and off-limits, and Jared would be left to pine for the rest of his long, lonely life.

Jared’s mama called him “overly dramatic” when he confided his fears to her.  “Felines like Jensen don’t just settle down willy-nilly,” she told him.  “That’s a Feline looking for _quality_.  Now, you may be a little strange, Jared, but you’re a quality catch.  He’ll see that.”

Her words reassured him briefly, but could not keep him calm for long.  He was a worrier by nature and nothing would stop him from agonizing over the coming moon.  He had this one shot to make everything perfect or he was _doomed_.

Now, it wasn’t exactly _normal_ for male Felines to court other male Felines.  Seeing as there was no way to actually _breed_ , even those who found the forms of both sexes alluring tended to go with the opposite one.  That said, it wasn’t completely unheard of for two males or two females to settle down together, so Jared hoped that his offer, though untraditional, wouldn’t completely scandalize Jensen.

First Gifts—which were basically a way of asking permission to woo another Feline—were supposed to be distributed in the early morning of the first day of Mating Season.  The trick was to be as sneaky as possible, to prove your stealthiness and grace to your potential mate, but Jared knew that wouldn’t work for him.  He was many things, but graceful and stealthy weren’t two of them.  He wasn’t exactly oafish, but even at his most light-footed, other Felines could easily detect him.  So his First Gift was going to have be awesome enough to make up for his lackluster presentation.

Jared had watched Jensen long and hard enough to know that he secretly enjoyed creature comforts.  While he never made a big deal out of it, he was clearly less happy when he had to eat tough and grisly meat or had to wear trousers made of rough cloth.  When he’d given up the bits and pieces of fur that he normally used to line his sleeping place to his mother’s new litter, Jared had wanted to do nothing more than provide him another, cushier blanket to make up for the loss.

Jared did not have a lot of practical skills, but he spent months working on the blanket for Jensen.  He spent hours trying to hunt rabbits for their soft fur, even though he only caught one in ten.  He pricked his fingers learning to awkwardly sew the pelts together.  He crushed berries and herbs to dye the blanket a lovely reddish color.  When it was done, it was not the most beautiful or well-made thing he’d ever seen, but it was soft and warm and made with love.  He could only hope Jensen would appreciate that.

The first morning of Mating Season, Jared crawled out of his cave before the sun even rose.  He did not want the other Felines to see him, did not want them to laugh at his audacity in attempting to woo Jensen.  This was between him and Jensen, no one else.  Holding his breath, he gently set the blanket down at the entrance to Jensen’s cave.  He heard movement inside and dashed off, ignoring stealth in terms of speed.  When he plunged back into his own cave a minute later, his heart was pounding.

“You’re quality, Jared,” he murmured to himself, trying to bring his mama’s confidence to mind.  “He’s going to see that.  He will.”

*

Jared tried to go about his morning as if it was any other.  It was pretty easy to do, mostly because everyone acted like he wasn’t involved in Mating Season at all.  One elderly Feline patted his back when he dropped off the herbs he’d collected for her aching knees and told him she was sure he’d find someone the next year.  Jared tried not to feel insulted by it; people just didn’t quite get him, that was all.

He did hear some people exclaiming over Jensen’s new blanket.  Apparently Jensen hadn’t told anyone who it was from—which wasn’t all that strange, because Jensen was a private kind of person—and everyone was speculating about who could have given it to him.  Jared puffed up a bit when he realized that the general thought about it was that it was a good kind of gift, if not perfectly made, and that Jensen should give the Feline who’d made it a shot.  He tried not to strut, but apparently failed, since one of the kits asked him why he was walking so strangely.

It wasn’t until he returned to his cave in the evening that he encountered Jensen.  After a day of obsessing over what the other Feline’s reaction would be, Jared was more than a little worn out.  He didn’t notice Jensen until he nearly tripped over him.

“Oh sh—”  At the last moment, Jared remembered not to swear.  It would be awful if his first words to Jensen during the wooing process were curse words.  “I’m so sorry, really, sorry.  I’ll just—how about I just sit over here?”  Jared stumbled away from Jensen’s bemused eyes, plopping himself down a good eight feet away and trying not to fidget.

“Jared,” Jensen said, and while his voice wasn’t quite what Jared would call calm, it was certainly even.  His form matched his voice; he was impeccably groomed and well put-together, wearing fine, unstained leather britches.  His tawny fur was smooth and silky, all running in the same direction over his arms, face, back, and belly.  The tufts of hair on his ears were a becoming pure white, and his claws were sharp and shiny.  Next to him, Jared felt like a mess, highly conscious of the leaves still stuck in his hair and the cowlick of stomach-fur that he couldn’t quite tame.

“Jared,” Jensen repeated, and he sounded oddly hesitant.  “I think…  You left this at my cave this morning.”  He gestured to his lap and Jared realized that he’d brought the blanket with him.  The red tones looked good with the color of his fur, Jared thought, proud of himself.  Jensen couldn’t seem to stop stroking it with his left hand either.  “I think you made a mistake,” Jensen continued hurriedly, and Jared realized he was embarrassed.  “I assume you meant it for Alona or Katie?  Alona’s just to my right and Katie is one tier down.  I would have brought it up earlier, but I didn’t want to make a scene in public—”

Jared’s stomach lurched and he looked down at his lap.  Jensen was very kind, really, clearly trying to give him an out.  It was the sort of rejection someone nice would give.  Sure, Jared could have done without the implication that his attempted courtship was a mistake, but he was sure Jensen didn’t mean it that way.  Still, Jared wasn’t the sort to take the out.  If Jensen was going to reject him, then Jared needed to be properly rejected so his poor little heart could give up hope.  “No,” he answered softly, shoulders slumped, ears wilted down against his head.  “I meant it for you.”  He didn’t look up.  “You can keep it, though.  Even if you don’t want me.  I made it for you, I wouldn’t want—”  He cut himself off.  “I don’t have any use for it.  It’s yours.”

“I…”  Jensen sounded even more baffled than before.  “You… really?  It’s for me?”

The words were so pleasantly surprised that Jared dared to look up.  Jensen was looking down at the blanket with a happy kind of awe in his eyes.  Jared’s heart pounded a little faster.  “Yeah,” Jared confirmed, knowing he was grinning stupidly.  “I made it for you.  Because I, um, really like you.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent love confession, but Jensen blushed a little beneath his fur like he was flattered.  “So, you want to…”  Jensen waved a hand, like he was too flustered to even finish his sentence.

“Woo.  You.  Yeah, I do.”  Jared nodded hurriedly to affirm his words.  “I know it’s not really, you know, traditional.  But I like you.  A lot.  So I figure it’s worth it?”

“Right.”  Jensen’s blush had deepened even further, which Jared took as a good sign.  “Well.  Thank you, for the blanket.”  Jensen’s hands clenched in the fur of the blanket possessively.  “I know it’s silly, but I really like having something to sleep on.”

Jared very badly wanted to say “I know,” but had the feeling that would come off badly.  “I’m glad,” he said instead, “that you like it.  I’d hoped you would.”  He wanted to go on and brag about all he’d had to do to make it, but held his tongue instead.  Jensen was a good hunter, a good worker.  He knew the worth of the blanket, including all its flaws.

Tapping his fingers on the blanket, Jensen flashed a quick smile up at Jared before looking back down.  “If you want to continue… wooing me—” he paused, took a deep breath “—I would be okay with that.”

Jared beamed, unable to control his complete and utter joy.  “I do,” he replied.  “Want to keep wooing you, that is.”  It wasn’t quite the traditional wording, but it was close enough.  He and Jensen smiled at each other for a moment, Jensen tentatively and Jared dopily, before Jensen leaned forward to complete the miniature ceremony by rubbing his cheeks up against Jared’s, first one side and then the other.  Jared purred happily and then blushed at displaying such eager emotion.

When Jensen pulled away, he reached up to touch Jared’s cheek briefly.  “We’ll talk again soon?” he said, the sentence tilting up into a question at the last moment.

“Um, yeah,” Jared responded, proving once again that speaking was not forte.  He just barely kept himself from adding “if you want to,” since Jensen exchanging scent with him was a pretty good indicator that, yes, he wanted to.  “Sleep well,” he said instead, words just barely catching Jensen as he left.

Jensen shot a shy smile back at him.  “You too,” he replied, and then was gone in a flash of lovely tawny fur.

Jared immediately collapsed onto his back, grinning like a lunatic.  Jensen—capable, beautiful Jensen—was going to let _Jared_ woo him.  Jared punched his fist upwards in a triumphant manner.

Now he had to think of other wooing gifts.

*

It was a good thing that all Felines involved in courting were excused from most regular work, because Jared devoted nearly all his time to getting, creating, or searching for the best courting gifts for Jensen.  He was determined that no corners be cut.  His Jensen—well, _could_ be his—would eat the ripest, rarest berries, the most succulent meat.  He’d sleep on his fine blanket with the fluffiest pillows, and he’d have a lovely decorated comb to smooth his fur and hair.  Jared even made him a bracelet out of sparkly rock and seashells, which Jensen promptly put on and then did not take off.

In other words, Jared was determined to spoil Jensen rotten.

It came out rather quickly who Jensen’s suitor was, and people had begun staring at Jared like they’d never seen him before.  Jared tried not to let it bother him, but, as a consequence of keeping so much to himself for much of his youth, he wasn’t used to the spotlight.  It unnerved him.  He took to slinking around camp and avoiding everyone who wasn’t Jensen or his mama.

The latter thought he was being silly.  She was over the moon that one of her kits was getting so much attention for his wooing efforts.  “I told you,” she said when he stopped by to get the recipe for his favorite rabbit soup (so he could make some for Jensen, of course).  “You’re _quality_ , Jared, and now the Felines around here are finally seeing that!”

On the other hand, Jensen seemed to not notice it at all.  When one of the evening walks they took brought them into contact with a group of gawking youths, Jensen appeared to  remain cheerfully oblivious to both their staring and the way Jared shrank back.  He was more than happy to cuddle with Jared for an extra long time afterwards though, so Jared didn’t even think about complaining.

Nightly cuddles after a walk (not in their dens, because that would be Inappropriate) became a normal thing.  Jared liked them because it seemed to be the only time both of them could relax and just be with each other.  When he wasn’t looking directly into Jensen’s incredible eyes, he was much more articulate, and it seemed to sooth something in Jensen when Jared tucked him under one arm and groomed the top of his head.  Yes, without their cuddles, Jared was sure he’d still be stammering and shaking every time he was in Jensen’s presence.

One night—a week out from the end of Mating Season—Jensen had him lay down so his head was in Jensen’s lap.  “I want to pet your head,” Jensen told him, and Jared was more than happy to comply.  Within a minute, he was purring heartily and nuzzling up against Jensen’s leg while Jensen ran his fingers through the hair/fur on the back of his neck.  Jensen laughed a little whenever Jared did anything particularly ridiculous, but otherwise stayed quiet, instead of asking his softly spoken questions like usual.  Jared figured out quickly why when, on one nuzzle, his cheek brushed up against hardness in Jensen’s crotch.

“Oh,” he said, freezing immediately.  Jensen’s fingers had halted where they were in his fur, and from the quality of the silence, he was pretty sure his woo-ee was blushing strongly.  “I didn’t—I’m sorry.  I really wasn’t trying to—”

“I know you weren’t,” Jensen replied in a rush.  “And I.  I wasn’t trying to either.  I mean, I didn’t mean for this to—”

“I know,” Jared assured him just as quickly.  Carefully, he twisted around so he could look up at Jensen.  There was a pink hue just under his fur, and his pupils were dilated even more than they needed to be for the dark.  “You’d never do anything like that.  Not without asking.”

Jensen nodded hurriedly.  “And you were so happy.  I didn’t want to tell you and have you move.”

Jared looked up at him, at his perfect, perfectly groomed face.  “I’m always happy with  you,” he said honestly.  When Jensen flushed a deeper red, Jared shifted a bit where he lay.  “And.  If you want.  I could.”  He darted his eyes to the left, where he could see Jensen’s flesh straining against his britches.  “I know we’re not supposed to—not until Mating Season has ended and we’re officially mates—but I want to.  If you want to.”

Jensen shook his head, not like he was saying no, but more like it was all too much for him.  “I want—but it’s too much to ask.”  He peered down at Jared shyly.  “I couldn’t ask you—”

“You didn’t,” Jared reminded him.  “I… I want to.  Will you let me?”

For a moment, Jensen stared at him, awestruck-like.  Then, he inclined his head, just a little, without breaking eye contact.  Jared let out a shaky breath in response and then sat up quickly so he could press his lips to Jensen’s.

It was a sloppy kind of kiss, not like the kisses Jensen had given him previously, sweet, neat little things.  Jared didn’t have Jensen’s kind of restraint and his enthusiasm made him messy.  He licked Jensen’s mouth open, until they were purring as one united being, rumbling into each other’s mouths.  Jensen started stroking the back of his neck again, and Jared could feel his own pants becoming uncomfortable.

“Okay, okay,” Jared huffed out, pressing one, two, three more kisses to Jensen’s mouth before flipping onto his stomach and positioning himself over Jensen’s lap.  Just below him was Jensen’s cock, and Jensen wanted him to lick it and bathe it like mates did.  With fumbling fingers, Jared undid the leather lacing and pulled the two flaps apart so he could get at where Jensen’s cock was nestled up against him.  Not knowing _exactly_ what to do, he just dove in, bumping his face up against it and nuzzling it with his nose.  Above him, Jensen gasped and grabbed at his neck, holding him like a kit, which made Jared gasp in turn.

He breathed against it happily for a moment and then realized that the hot breaths had to be like torture for Jensen, so he dove in with his tongue, wetting the salty skin with overly vigorous licks.  Jensen’s thighs trembled under him as Jared lapped happily at the tip of his cock before ducking down to mouth at his balls.  Jared had no idea what he was doing, but he purred around Jensen’s balls joyfully as Jensen cried above him.  Whatever he was doing, it was making Jensen feel good.  Jared ground his own hips against the dirt, not caring that he was getting his britches dirty.  He felt good making Jensen feel good.

Eventually, the hand on his neck pulled him forcefully up.  “Here, please,” Jensen moaned, trying to push Jared’s mouth down on his cock.  Jared was happy to oblige, wrapping his lips around the head of Jensen’s cock and finding he could take it farther inside his mouth fairly easily.  That seemed to make Jensen feel even better because he went wild above Jared, thrashing and clawing at his fur.  Jared purred even harder; Jensen thrust forward once and then hunched over Jared while he spasmed and came.

Jared swallowed mostly out of surprise at first and then quickly pulled back so that he could lap up the come from Jensen’s skin in a much more manageable way.  He got one hand around Jensen’s cock, squeezing it helpfully as Jensen came.  He didn’t want Jensen to feel like Jared was _completely_ abandoning him to his pleasure.

Once Jensen appeared to be done, his cock soft and pink against his belly, Jared shoved a hand down into his own britches and humped down, once, twice.  It didn’t take much more than that for him to come, as pleased as he was at having had Jensen’s cock in his mouth.  They were _mates_ now, even though they hadn’t done the ceremony yet.  He was Jensen’s _mate_.

He panted through his own orgasm, and let Jensen lead him up into a kiss once it was over.  It shouldn’t have been a good one, especially since they were both still really out of it, but every kiss with Jensen was good, apparently, even when they were just puffing air into each other’s mouths.

“Mate,” Jared gasped out when he could, cradling Jensen’s head in his hands.

Jensen smiled, the biggest and widest smile Jared had ever seen from him.  “I can’t believe you’re actually my mate,” he whispered.  “I’ve always wanted you to be my mate, but I didn’t think you saw me.  You never seemed interested.”

Heart near to bursting, Jared cuddled him close and rubbed his scent into him, scentmarking him with his cheeks and his hands.  “Really?  You thought that?”

Jensen nodded.

Jared swooped in for another, deeper kiss, licking into Jensen’s mouth with all the joy in the world.  When he pulled back, he smiled the biggest, widest smile he’d ever smiled.  “I have a lot to tell you then, mate.”


End file.
